Global
Ills
An increasingly
warmer globe is turning the heat on the health of populations the world
over. Newer, faster spreading, and re-emerging diseases is only the tip
of the iceberg. Tepid public health defenses and medical short fixes will
prove insufficient and inefficient in the face of such threats. Pakistan
needs to address social and environmental issues, and not just medical
strategies to withstand the effects of global warming.
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease joined by a deadlier malady in dengue fever. While the Ministry of Health curbs itself to provision of medicine as well as fumigation as effective strategies, spread of such diseases entail proper implementation of environmentally sensitive actions. This means clearing up of stagnant water sources, which are breeding ground for mosquitoes. Emphasis on proper municipal services forms a core in preventing such outbreaks.
Clean air and water form the basis of life, as we know it. All public health efforts are to fail if such basics are not well covered or their degradation not taken into account. If we are to stop the rise of diseases due to global warming, then environmentally responsible actions that ensure these vital entities is the fundamental key to our very survival on the planet.
Butterflies,
insects are dying fast
Butterflies
in Pakistan are vanishing fast and so is the case with other insects,
beetles and birds, that are important in pollination of wild flowers,
crops that we need daily and fruits. All these items put together, touch
a phenomenal figure in weight, cost, human welfare and ecology in general.
The free market model is broken explicitly by environmental costs, which are euphemistically termed “externalities.” The 2007 Nobel Prize winner in economics, Eric Maskin discusses how such public goods when taken into consideration, expose the explicit failings of a model championed by capitalist and neo-liberalist camps.
Leave
the Skies Alone
Recent and simplistic
proposals to pump sulfur into the atmosphere to create “global
cooling” mean dangerous threats to the vital Ozone Layer. The
effects of any “geoengineering” solution must be avoided
before further compounding environmental effects.
Public Health
Breaking
the habit
They say bad habits
die hard, whoever they is, is probably right! Believe you me, smoking
was almost close to impossible to let go of.
On April 22, Subh-e-Nau celebrated Earth Day with plantation campaigns as well as raising awareness for the public. SN extended this day to “Earth Year,” extending the same spirit of this day until the end of the year.
A relatively new field, Positive Psychology, is a newer look into how humans are able to withstand damage and adversity with their strengths. Founded by Martin Seligman, this newer and more holistic view of humans holds tremendous potential for self-improvement and building better relationships. Above all, it fosters the trust that happiness and fulfillment need not only be attained through traditional treatment of deficits, but by better employment of virtues and strengths present in all of us.
Forming a major ingredient in curries and dishes, turmeric is a widely used as a spice in both Pakistani and Indian dishes. While it provides just the right color and flavor to our food, the health effects of this plant are staggering in their benefits as well.
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